Art opening reception for "Albertini + Spillmann". The public is invited to meet the artists at the opening reception on Thursday, January 30 from 6-8 pm. Both artists will attend the opening.

Multimedia by Sydney Albertini and Sculpture by Heinrich Spillmann.

From January 30-March 12, 2014, The Flinn Gallery is pleased to present the work of Sydney Albertini and Heinrich Spillmann at the Flinn Gallery, sponsored by the Friends of the Greenwich Library, from January 30 to March 12.

A multimedia artist, Sydney Albertini has previously worked in painting, sculpture, photography, and performance, often incorporating her own textiles. For the Flinn exhibition, Albertini has created a series of self-portraits and textile pieces, reflecting an on-going investigation with abstraction. The portraits build on each other, with the depiction of patterned fabric or clothing twisting, wrapping, and eventually overtaking the details of the face. The portraits start out spontaneous and gestural, with bands of pattern that are more measured and controlled. Eventually these patterns envelope the head and become masks, barely revealing her identity. In the smaller pieces, a portion of the imagined fabric is lifted from the paintings and remade with soft threads embroidered on cloth. Albertini states “I have always been passionate about colors and patterns and therefore textiles. I like to work big, working in a narrative way, adding piece by piece, one idea brings another.”

Heinrich Spillmann creates large scale wood sculpture, drawings, carvings, and furniture. For this body of work, Spillmann asks us to explore the interminable relationship between man and nature. Lost to Super Storm Sandy, trees that had toppled to the street were salvaged and crafted by Spillmann, transformed into art. “These magnificent trunks fascinated me every day on my way to and from work,” Spillmann said. “The challenge to rescue them before they disappeared was huge. Part of the challenge was the coordination and logistics of bringing them to a place of my own to work on, but also the challenge of what would best express their energy and history.” Through the use of major hauling equipment, he hoists and chainsaws the trunks. In a thoughtful yet laborious process, he then cuts through the many layers of time to reveal their potential beauty. Some twist, taper, or bulge into immense vessels. Often, they are further refined with carving tools that rearticulate the ring patterns of the wood. Spillmann says, “The carved vases are meant to serve as symbolic containers, to hold all that the trees stood for. The chairs, one of the oldest objects made from trees, should invite the viewer to rest and contemplate the vases.”

Sydney Albertini and Heinrich Spillmann were both born and raised in Europe. Albertini grew up in Paris and studied art at Parsons School of Design in New York and fresco painting in Florence, Italy. She now lives and works in East Hampton. Her work has been widely shown in this country as well as in Italy and has been featured in print media from the New York Times to Vogue. Spillmann is from Basel, Switzerland and studied at Basel’s Academy of Art and Design and Cooper Union in New York. Now based in Brooklyn, he is an architect at the Brooklyn Public Library. His work has been exhibited in both New York and Switzerland.

Additionally, there will be an Artist’s Talk on Sunday, March 2, at 2:00 p.m. in the Flinn Gallery. Curators for the show are Flinn Gallery Co-Chairs Tracy McKenna and Kirsten Dieterich Pitts.

Albertini + Spillmann will be on view Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended hours to 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Artworks are for sale, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the Friends of the Greenwich Library.